Are You Motivated to Achieve or to Just Get By?

Most of us are motivated by a variety of things at any one time. When it comes to our careers or the time we spend at work, what motivates us one day might not be what keeps us going on the next. Overall, however, many of us can identify the "major" issues or elements that keep us motivated-whether it is to provide for our families, work toward retirement, become more powerful or successful, or some other reason. It can be helpful to know why we work-is it to pay the bills and just get by, or do you really want to achieve something with your career?

There is nothing wrong with being motivated by different things. In fact, if you know that you want to work a job that is not too strenuous to allow you to focus on other areas of your life, this knowledge can be extraordinarily helpful in your job search. Likewise, if you have a strong desire to achieve or to gain recognition and advancement on the job, this can also help you in selecting a career path and choosing work opportunities that are likely to support that.

It may seem that in our capitalistic society where the focus is on advancement and achievement that a path in that direction is the not only the best way to work or approach one's career, but also the ONLY way to approach it. This is simply not true. Understanding what motivates you is half the battle in building a work life that supports your values and your personality.

It is important for those who supervise others in a work environment to also realize that these various motivation elements affect the workforce. It is an error to assume that everyone is there to work hard and advance up the corporate ladder. Some people want a job that is stress-free or with very little stress and they are perfectly happy to "get by" so that they can focus on other areas of their lives. Understanding what motivates various individuals can help a supervisor to build a productive and satisfied workforce with a variety of different people.